International
Hundreds of Iranians cheered President Hassan Rouhani on his return from New York on Saturday after his historic phone call with U.S. President Barack Obama.
Supporters shouted chants of “Rouhani we thank you” and “Iran calls for moderation,” according to Iranian news agency ISNA.
But a smaller number of hardline conservative protesters also showed up, shouting "death to America," and "no compromise or surrender to our national interests."
Witness reports posted on Twitter said the conservative protesters pelted Rouhani's limousine with eggs and stones in anger over his direct contact with Obama. The semi-official Mehr news agency said one protester threw his shoes at the vehicle, a gesture of deep insult in the Islamic faith.
Still, supporters both in Iran and internationally seemed to outnumber detractors after Rouhani’s U.S. visit, where he met with leaders of several Western countries.
While an anticipated handshake between Rouhani and Obama at U.N. headquarters failed to materialize, the two leaders held a 15-minute call on Friday following the U.N. General Assembly.
U.S. officials said the phone call, which focused on how to resolve the standoff over Iran's disputed nuclear program, was requested by the Iranian side but in comments to journalists after his return, Rouhani indicated it was an U.S. initiative.
Rouhani won election in a landslide last June, buoyed by voters keen for steps towards moderation and reform after eight years of intensifying repression at home and isolation abroad under confrontational predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Obama and Rouhani’s phone call was the first contact between an Iranian and U.S. president in 34 years.
Rouhani’s presidency is viewed by many as a chance to mend international relations with Iran. The country has been largely isolated from the outside world -- especially from the U.S. -- since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Prominent conservative figures -- including leaders who are all loyal to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei -- have publicly endorsed Rouhani's "heroic flexibility," citing the phrase Khamenei used last week to encourage diplomatic outreach.
Upon returning home, Rouhani told reporters that the U.S. gave him a 2,700 year-old silver chalice, which he interpreted as a new token of friendship between the two nations. The artifact had been in New York since 2003, when an art dealer smuggled it into the U.S. from Iran.
Al Jazeera and wire services
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